Comparison

MusicFolder 2 vs RingsFX

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MusicFolder 2

A straightforward music player designed for users who organize their music by folders, not tags. It offers gapless playback, gesture controls, and simple library management via the Files app.

Highlights
  • Folder-based music library organization
  • Gapless playback
  • Gesture-based controls
  • Interactive playlist search
  • Smart folders
  • WAV to AAC/ALAC conversion
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Simple, no-frills music player for "oldschool" users who have a music library based on a folder structure instead of tags / metadata. This app is SIMPLISTIC BY DESIGN and does NOT HAVE A LOT OF FEATURES! However, those features that it DOES have work GREAT! IMPORTANT: You cannot use MusicFolder to play music from the regular "Music" app. Instead, you use the iPhone's "Files" app to copy your folder-based music library from your computer (or anywhere else) into MusicFolder. - Supported file formats: mp3, mp4, m4a, aac, alac, wav, adts, ac3, aiff, aifc, caf, snd, au, sd2. - GAPLESS PLAYBACK for all file formats. - Straightforward playlist concept: the playlist always simply consists of all songs in the current folder and its subfolders. - Fast interactive PLAYLIST SEARCH. - Smart folders that show your most listened to or most recently played songs. - GESTURE-BASED CONTROL, no need to look at the screen: swipe up/down to shuffle, swipe left/right to skip, double-tap to play/stop, hold and slide up/down for volume control. - Interactive SCRUBBING through the current song with the realtime seek bar, including waveform preview. - Configurable behavior at the end of a song and on remote control events (headphones / Control Center): skip, shuffle, stop, repeat. - Simple music library transfer and management using the iPhone's Files app. - Optional AUTOMATIC CONVERSION of newly added WAV files to AAC (various quality levels available) or ALAC (Apple Lossless). - Full remote control support for headphones and Control Center. - Full AIRPLAY support. - Supports portrait and landscape orientation. - Selecting a photo from your photo library will auto-generate a theme based on the photo's color structure. IMPORTANT: The app is STRICTLY for FOLDER-BASED libraries and does NOT support ANY kind of tags, cover art, or other metadata inside files. However, for people keeping their music library organized in folders "the oldschool way" and seeking a simple, stable, gapless-capable, no-frills portable player, this app is a godsend! Let us know if you have any suggesions or issues via our support page!

About

RingsFX

This music app emulates a renowned physical modeling synthesizer, offering diverse synthesis techniques and polyphonic capabilities. It allows for real-time parameter manipulation and can process external audio, creating unique sonic textures and rhythms.

Highlights
  • Physical modeling synthesis emulation
  • Multiple polyphony modes (Mono, Duo, Quad, True Polyphonic)
  • Supports MIDI MPE and velocity sensitivity
  • External audio excitation
  • Mod Matrix for real-time parameter control
  • 7 unique synthesis modes
  • 6 mod-able and 6 global effects
Features
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RingsFX is an AUv3 plugin based on the famous Mutable Instruments Rings, one of the most dedicated and fully-featured Physical Modeling Eurorack modules ever created. At its core is a resonator that needs to be 'excited' or 'strummed' by MIDI input, noise, or external audio excitation. RingsFX emulates vibrations of structures simulated by 3 different synthesis techniques that can be plucked or process external signals: Modal Synthesis, Sympathetic Strings, and Inharmonic Strings. Traditionally, Rings was only monophonic but used a unique approach to polyphony that allowed the previous note to 'ring' out and decay while a new note was played. Rings FX provides these same modes (Mono, Duo, and Quad), but expands it with a true Polyphonic mode. RingsFX also expands the capabilities of the original engine by adding support for velocity sensitivity and MIDI MPE mode. The new polyphonic mode allows RingsFX to play up to 12 notes of true polyphony, depending on the settings. Doing so requires RingsFX to use multiple Rings resonators, but the more true polyphony you use, the more processing power it requires. Running in the traditional Monophonic, Duophonic, or Quadrophonic modes may be preferred in order to keep CPU usage under control. RingsFX has 7 modes in total, by combining the 3 basic modes with additional properties such as chords or specially tuned reverbs. The original hardware also had a secret 'Easter Egg' mode, which in RingsFX is simply calling 'Synthesizer' mode, rumoured to be based on one of the early Korg synthesis methods. This mode supported a number of mutable effects which now work on in all resonator modes. RingsFX also has a Mod-Matrix which allows you to combine the built-in LFOs and FEGs to great effect by manipulating parameters and mutable effects in realtime. Finally, RingsFX can be loaded as an AUv3 effect plugin. Set the Exciter Source to 'INPUT', and you can pass any audio through RingsFX and use this audio as an external exciter. For example, it can be used to great affect on a drum beat to create some crazy rhythms. Use the Output Mix to combine the original audio with the synthesised resonator output to create some stunning effects. Features ○ 7 unique synthesis modes. ○ Supports Mono, Duo, Quad and true polyphony. ○ Supports 2 fluid LFO's per note. ○ Up to 4 FEG's per note. ○ External Exciter modes. ○ White noise Pulse Sequencer. ○ Supports 6 mod-able effects and 6 global effects. ○ Mod Matrix ○ Input and white noise filters. ○ Program Manager with drag and drop. ○ Preset Search and Favourites. ○ Easy export and import of banks and presets. ○ Extensive help manual. ○ Web Transfer for backing up to PC/Mac. ○ MPE Support.

Screenshots

MusicFolder 24 screens
RingsFX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: MusicFolder 2 at $1.99 against RingsFX's $14.99. MusicFolder 2 also leads on chart position (#147 vs unranked). RingsFX's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (100% vs 65%). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

MusicFolder 2 costs $1.99 and RingsFX $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RingsFX holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of MusicFolder 2's written reviews are positive against 100% of RingsFX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MusicFolder 2 ships an update every 5 months, RingsFX fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 15, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
MusicFolder 2 versus RingsFX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMusicFolder 2RingsFX
Price$1.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.1 (10 ratings)4.9 (26 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1026 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexander Ewering4Pockets.com

Customer experience

MusicFolder 2

All ratings10 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive65.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative30.8%

RingsFX

All ratings26 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

MusicFolder 2

No in-app purchases

None

RingsFX

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MusicFolder 2 free?
MusicFolder 2 costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is RingsFX free?
RingsFX costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MusicFolder 2 or RingsFX?
RingsFX is rated higher. MusicFolder 2 averages 4.1 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while RingsFX averages 4.9 from 26 ratings.
Do MusicFolder 2 or RingsFX have ads?
Neither MusicFolder 2 nor RingsFX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MusicFolder 2 or RingsFX?
MusicFolder 2 ships an update every 5 months, and RingsFX fortnightly. Most recently, MusicFolder 2 was updated on October 15, 2026 and RingsFX on October 15, 2026.

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